MOSQUÉE ATIK

The name of this mosque (Atik Džamija/Атик Џамија) is derived from the Arabic word atiq which means "old". It is also known by the Turkish name of Sultan Süleyman Camii. It was indeed built during the reign of Suleyman the Magnificent, between 1520 and 1566, at the beginning of the Ottoman presence in Bijeljina. Its history is eventful. The current building, rectangular (11.5 x 21.5 m), is a faithful replica of the original mosque. This one was destroyed by Serbian nationalists in 1993, then rebuilt to be opened for worship in 2014. Before that, in 1718, it served as a defensive position to the Ottomans against the Austrians who took the city and transformed the building into a Catholic church for the needs of the Croatian community. Converted into a mosque in the nineteenth century, it was then equipped with a new minaret. Raised to 30.5 m high in 1912, it was the highest structure in the city. Its replica is now dominated by the belfry of the recent monastery of St. Basil of Ostrog, which faces it. Around the mosque, the harem (sacred space) housed a hammam and a Muslim cemetery, which were demolished during the Second World War. At the beginning of the reconstruction of the mosque, in 2002, Serbian tombs from the 14th and 15th centuries were discovered. This discovery was used as a pretext to delay the construction for ten years. The tombs, bearing inscriptions in Cyrillic, are the oldest remains of the city and are exhibited in the nearby museum.